Friday, April 19, 2013

1959 CinSpec Awards


Though I watched some films to catch up on this year, I still have a few left to see. For instance, I haven't seen The World of Apu, Compulsion, Floating Weeds, or The Young Philadelphians yet. As always, winners are indicated (*).

Rio Bravo

BEST PICTURE:
Black Orpheus
The 400 Blows
North by Northwest
Rio Bravo*
Some Like It Hot

BEST DIRECTOR:
Marcel Camus, Black Orpheus
Howard Hawks, Rio Bravo*
Alfred Hitchcock, North by Northwest
Francois Truffaut, The 400 Blows
Billy Wilder, Some Like It Hot

The 400 Blows

BEST ACTOR:
Cary Grant, North by Northwest
Vladimir Ivashev, Ballad of a Soldier
Jean-Pierre LĂ©aud, The 400 Blows*
Jack Lemmon, Some Like It Hot
James Stewart, Anatomy of a Murder

BEST ACTRESS:
Audrey Hepburn, The Nun's Story
Marilyn Monroe, Some Like It Hot
Emmanuelle Riva, Hiroshima, Mon Amour*
Simone Signoret, Room at the Top
Elizabeth Taylor, Suddenly, Last Summer

Hiroshima, Mon Amour

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Ben Gazzara, Anatomy of a Murder
Dean Martin, Rio Bravo
James Mason, North by Northwest*
Tony Randall, Pillow Talk
George C. Scott, Anatomy of a Murder

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Angie Dickinson, Rio Bravo
Susan Kohner, Imitation of Life
Zhanna Prokhorenko, Ballad of a Soldier
Lee Remick, Anatomy of a Murder*
Shelley Winters, The Diary of Anne Frank

Anatomy of a Murder

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Anatomy of a Murder*
Black Orpheus
Rio Bravo
Some Like It Hot
Suddenly, Last Summer

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Ballad of a Soldier
The 400 Blows*
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
North by Northwest
Pillow Talk

North by Northwest

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Ballad of a Soldier
Ben-Hur
Black Orpheus*
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
North by Northwest

BEST FILM EDITING:
Ballad of a Soldier*
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
North by Northwest
Pickpocket
Shadows

Ballad of a Soldier

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Anatomy of a Murder
Ben-Hur
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
Journey to the Center of the Earth
North by Northwest*

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
"Imitation of Life", Imitation of Life
"My Rifle, My Pony and Me", Rio Bravo*
"Once Upon a Dream", Sleeping Beauty
"Pillow Talk", Pillow Talk
"Rio Bravo", Rio Bravo

Additional Categories

Black Orpheus

BEST ART DIRECTION:
Ben-Hur*
The Diary of Anne Frank
Imitation of Life
North by Northwest
Some Like It Hot

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Ben-Hur
Black Orpheus*
Imitation of Life
Pillow Talk
Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot

BEST MAKEUP:
Ben-Hur
The Mouse That Roared
Some Like It Hot*

BEST SOUND (MIXING AND EDITING):
Ballad of a Soldier
Ben-Hur*
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
Journey to the Center of the Earth
North by Northwest

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Ben-Hur
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Journey to the Center of the Earth*

9 comments:

  1. Love the Black Orpheus and 400 Blows mentions! They top my ballot this year, alongside Some Like it Hot (which kind of wins everything). I have Wild Strawberries in 1957.

    I still need to see Rio Bravo!!!

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    1. Thanks! I love Some Like It Hot too, but there are so many great movies from this year. Yeah, I went with '59 for Wild Strawberries because of its Oscar nom, even though Ballad of a Soldier was a nominee in 1961. That's just how my weird classification system worked out. :)

      Yes! See it!

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  2. I loved The 400 Blows and Wild Strawberries. Great post!

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    1. Thanks! Those are great films. I really need to rewatch The 400 Blows.

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  3. Hmm I have never seen Wild Strawberries, The 400 Blows or Black Orpheus.

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    1. I highly recommend them if you're into world cinema.

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  4. Great picks, had no idea you were such a Rio Bravo fan. I haven't seen that one in YEARS. Definitely need to check it out again.

    Love that Riva got some love!

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    1. Thanks man. I'd recommend giving it another look. I hadn't seen it in years either, so I rewatched it (twice) a few months ago. Big fan of it now.

      Glad I finally watched that film! Riva was terrific in it.

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  5. It's a near sweep! Much as I love the other films Some Like It Hot is a perfect coming together of all the proper elements at the right time and creating a classic of tone, rhythm and hilarity.

    Picture:
    Anatomy of a Murder
    The 400 Blows
    North by Northwest
    Rio Bravo
    Some Like It Hot-Winner
    Some Like It Hot wins but N by NW is a close second followed by Anatomy.

    Director:
    Francois Truffaut-The 400 Blows
    Howard Hawks-Rio Bravo
    Alfred Hitchcock-North by Northwest
    Otto Preminger-Anatomy of a Murder
    Billy Wilder-Some Like It Hot-Winner
    I always love Hitchcock's work, with the exception of the terminally dull Topaz, but Wilder's hectic pace is a perfect fit with Hot's manic tone.

    Actor:
    Richard Burton-Look Back in Anger
    Tony Curtis-Some Like It Hot
    Bradford Dillman-Compulsion
    Jack Lemmon-Some Like It Hot-Winner
    James Stewart-Anatomy of a Murder
    Great performances with Stewart almost equaling Curtis's work but Jack Lemmon trumps them all. Cary Grant would have been my sixth choice for N by NW followed closely by Kirk Douglas in Devil's Disciple.

    Actress:
    Ava Gardner-On the Beach
    Audrey Hepburn-The Nun's Story
    Marilyn Monroe-Some Like It Hot-Winner
    Lee Remick-Anatomy of a Murder
    Simone Signoret-Room at the Top
    I knew before I started compiling a list that this was Marilyn all the way but Lee Remick is so great in Anatomy I regret having to pass her up. Hepburn and Gardner are excellent and I hated to take away Signoret's Oscar because her work is so beautiful although it's almost a supporting performance but Sugar Kane won't be denied.

    Supporting Actor:
    Stephen Boyd-Ben-Hur
    Joe E. Brown-Some Like It Hot-Winner
    Ben Gazzara-Anatomy of a Murder
    James Mason-North by Northwest
    Laurence Olivier-The Devil's Disciple
    Boyd is the best thing and the only sign of life in any of the performers in the ponderous Ben-Hur and Olivier a perfect Shavian interpreter while Gazzara is all coiled malice in Anatomy. I always love Mason's work, he's in my top 10 favorite actors, but Joe E. Brown's completely unflappable Osgood is a masterly creation.

    Supporting Actress:
    Carolyn Jones-Career
    Susan Kohner-Imitation of Life-Winner
    Juanita Moore-Imitation of Life
    Alexis Smith-The Young Philadelphians
    Shelley Winters-The Diary of Anne Frank
    Alexis Smith does wonders with a part that could have been little more than a bit. Winters does well as Mrs. Van Daan balancing the more abrasive parts of her personality with the softer ones. Career is a dated, average film but buried within is Carolyn Jones's moving performance of a lonely, lovelorn agent. She's much better than the film. Juanita Moore's work is especially impressive since saintliness is almost impossible to portray without becoming cloying but she manages it making her daughter's betrayal of trust all the more heartbreaking. Susan Kohner is my winner though because as selfish, thoughtless and at times cruel as Sarah Jane is to Annie she always makes sure you see the anguish behind her motives. That you feel for her despite her cavalier treatment of the lovable Annie is due solely to Kohner's work.

    Loving these and I have to say again I'm in awe that you do all the categories. I have a tough time deciding the main six! It's given me so many new films to explore, I've already seen Children of Paradise, very good, and Limelight, which I loved. Having worked my way through the 40's & 50's I'm going to backtrack to the 30's, the early part of which my viewing is somewhat patchy but this will help me fill some gaps.

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